12 Hipster Types – The Comprehensive Breakdown

UCLA recently held a sociological discussion on the hipster. The 1-hour Q&A panel of hipster experts (including Tao Lin, Gavin McInnes, Mark Hunter and Alexi Wasser) came to very few agreements. Collectively, they did raise questions worth considering. When outsider style becomes mainstream fashion, when does it stop being style and become costume? Is hipster derogatory? Do all youth culture groups boil down to clothing and music? What is the contemporary hipsters idealism?

Some on the panel mentioned hipsters being electronic-dependant, unprejudiced, liberal, informed, mirror-glancing, art obsessed, peace seeking, covert fashion-addicts. But when most people want to be casually, yet noticeably, different, very few are.

There are two camps. Youre a hipster, or youre not. If youve ever called anyone a hipster, youre a hipster. Non-hipsters dont have a clear concept of what in the hell a hipster is exactly, much less care to have an opinion on them.

There are, however, different sects of hipsters. Scroll through the slide show for the complete breakdown.

Mara LaFontaine is an actress, filmmaker, painter and community-collective artist, based in Los Angeles. Please visit Life is a Word (check back soon) to view her current projects, and find out how to be directly involved in Group Art Projects with like-minded strangers from around the world.

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DIY Hipsters This lovely movement is especially prominent in Northern California and Portland. Create! Anything and everything, make it yourself! If you want to play the banjo or learn to tap dance, you probably fit here too. I dont know exactly why, you just do. Icon: Miranda July <3 <3

Ironic-stersLike things that are so bad its good? Nostalgic graphic t-shirts! Get a kick out of bizarre past-trends? Do you have an impressive artillery of pop-culture wit? Like things that are just loud, ugly and memorable? Think Mark Hunter of The Cobrasnake.

Classic HipsterI admit, seeing a boy in a cotton V-neck, pants rolled displaying defined ankles, a pair of old loafers, headphones, scruffy facial hair, a book tucked under one arm and a cup of coffee in the other For a moment, I want to take him home, and make him read poems/stories out-loud to me in bed. He just looks so comfortable! See Thru Short Sleeve V-Neck, $26, American Apparel

Nerd-sterDo you have an obsession with a specific art form? Curious, yet passive, consider yourself un-hip? Think of the library or museum as an ideal place to meet babes? (Nerd-sters I <3 you)

The Egyptology Handbook: A Course in the Wonders of Egypt, $10.39, Amazon

Elitist-hipster(The biggest haters of the term hipster.) Youre not a f*cking hipster, youre an artist. You dont keep up with the trends, if something great comes out, youll hear about it from your friends. Think Vincent Gallo.

Yuppie Hipster: Do you own a Prius that still has an Obama sticker on the back? Do you want to make as much money as possible while appearing to not put much effort into anything? Yup-ster! Keychain, $3.95, Zazzle

Un-cool HipstersDont think you can escape hipsterdom that easily. The (intentionally or unintentionally) un-cool can still be hip. Trademark attributes usually gravitate toward specific, un-cool styles. Its un-coolness has history, and if explored enough, usually becomes cool from its obvious un-coolness. Think author, Tao Lin.